Finally, an update! Sorry for the long delay. Guess what? School's over and it's vacation time, but there's mo vacation for me. You see, I'll be taking summer classes not because I failed or anything. It's because I wanna get ahead and finish early. I know, I know, you don't have to tell me, it sucks! Instead of traveling to different places or relaxing and having a great time, I'm going back to school. One whole month in school where I have to go to class five days a week and four hours a day. What a fun summer vacation for me, right?

Anyways, before I get too busy and go back to school, I'm giving you this update of S.J. I think you guys deserve a good reading for summer. Hopefully I won't be too busy so I can update, and hopefully (with my fingers crossed) finish this story. It's going to be a long one, that I tell you…hehehe! Now don't get too excited folks! Here's chapter nine…enjoy!

Chapter Nine:

Matt stole a glance at Mimi sitting next to him in the car. She held the can of Sprite with both hands and stared at the unopened tab as if it was a missile detonator and the decision to destroy the state rested solely on her. She hasn't said a word in over twenty minutes. Ordinarily he'd just turn on the radio and leave her with her thoughts, but she already gone through so much. More than most men could take without breaking.

Matt knew she wanted to run back there. The crawl of spiders knitted a wed on the back of his neck. They started their frantic construction as soon as he shut off the engine and hadn't stopped until they were once again on the road. Too bad, princess, you're stuck with me until the trial.

"Talk to me, Mimi."

She continued staring at the top of the can of soda. He switched to the middle lane to avoid the odd sensation of falling the rail gave him.

"If I ask you questions, will you answer with the truth?"

"Of course." What's the catch?

"No couching to protect me." A certain desperation furrowed her forehead and clouded the bright light that should shine from her eyes.

"I'll always protect you, Mimi, whether you want me to or not." He shot her a smile he'd once reserved just for her, the kind of smile that would provoke an answering grin no matter what her mood. "Talk to me?"

"Will you not ask me questions in return?"

Drawing tiny circles with his back teeth, he stared at the white lines on the road. What was he agreeing to? A debating team took up sides in his head. After a minute neither side had him convinced, so he went with neutral. "I'm not sure I can promise that without more information."

She shook her head, returned her gaze to the soda can and picked the tab with an elegant fingernail. "You're worse than the company lawyers. Listen, answer, and don't question. Okay?"

He took in a breath. To get something, he was going to have to give a little. Getting past Mimi's barrier was more important than satisfying his curiosity. The pro side won…for now. "Okay."

"Why did you leave Odaiba?"

How could this be relevant to the current situation? "I just thought there was more for me out there. I wanted something more, Mimi, something I couldn't get here in Odaiba."

"Like what?"

He shrugged, staring at the traffic in front of him. What was it he wanted? A sense of accomplishment? Control? Putting feelings into words wasn't his specialty. "What I found at Seekers."

"The people at Seekers…do you trust them?"

By the dim light of the dashboard he studied her with his peripheral vision…the pale skin, the messy look, the desperation. Was she finally realizing she had no choice but to trust him? "With my life."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"How close are you to these people?" She licked her dry lips but didn't crack the tab that could quench her thirst. "I mean, would any of them admit if they did something wrong?"

"Like what?"

A sigh escaped her and her shoulders slumped as if she was deflating. "I don't know. Something that might make them betray one of the team?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if I was in a tough situation, I'd want a Seeker watching my back."

She nodded but nervously rocked the can of soda between her palms. The rumble of the engine growled between them, a pulse beating out the tension of their silence.

He rolled his tongue in his mouth and did his best to swallow his impatience. "What's going on, Mimi?"

A crinkle of painful lines radiated from her eyes as she moved her shoulders forward. "I can't go with you to Seekers Inc."

"It's the safest place there is."

"Michael is going to kill all of you. I can't have that in my conscience. It's too crowded already."

"Meems…"

"No, listen to me." Her head jerked up and her eyes were alight with a gold fire that pulsated with cold fear instead of warmth. "My father is dead. Three policemen are dead. The captain is dead. Michael won't stop until he gets me, and he knows where we're going."

Matt gritted his teeth. "He can't know."

"He told me."

Matt's head snapped in her direction. The phantom spiders at the back of his neck went on overdrive. The car next to him honked as his corvette drifted into its lane. "When?"

Mimi set the can of soda aside, went through her bag and took out a cream-colored envelope. "He left this for me."

"Where?" How was it possible for Sheer to get anywhere close to Mimi? How did Matt miss it? He promised to keep her safe. How the hell was he supposed to do that id he couldn't even see his prey? Maybe Tai was right to question his ability to do this job.

"I'm not sure, but I found it while I was in the bathroom."

He mentally kicked himself. He should have gone in with her. "Read it to me."

She did and with each venomous word scratched by Sheer's pen, Matt's temper rose a degree. By the time she finished reading, he was just shy of boiling over. Hand clawed around the steering wheel, he modulated his voice. She's afraid, soothe her. "He's lying, Mimi."

She folded the note back into its envelope and thrust it into her bag. "Maybe some of it, but you have to understand that he's an expert manipulator. Flaws and weaknesses are his tools of choice."

"He's manipulating you with his lies."

"Sora hasn't been herself in a long time," she said. "And how come Phillip McNair wasn't killed when three men were? For all I know, something or someone's giving out information. How can you be one hundred percent sure about everyone who works on the Seekers team?"

"Michael is using your fears to get you to do what he wants. If you're running, it's easier to get you."

"I don't care, Matt. All I have is your word. I can't take that chance. I'm not going where I don't feel safe, and I won't feel safe at Seekers. Not knowing Michael knows where I am, I'm not going there."

"You don't have a choice, princess." You find her and you bring her in. Is that understood? Matt gave his word.

"I'd rather die than give Michael a reason to kill more people."

Her hand curled around the door handle, and the spiders at his neck went wild again. For once he wished he'd gone for a late-modeled car with all the bells and whistles to lock her in, instead of a classic like his Corvette with everything manual.

"You keep going to where Seekers is and I swear to God I'll open this door and jump out."

She wouldn't…she couldn't. All he had to do was to calm her down. "Meems…"

"Stop the car, Matt, because I'm getting out." The confidence of her tone surprised him. So did the lock that unhooked with a pop.

"Close the door." They were in the middle of traffic. She wouldn't get out. She was trying her hand at some Sheerian manipulation.

"Not unless you stop the car."

"I'm in the freakin' middle lane. There's traffic all around us. You'll get yourself killed."

She reached to unclip her seatbelt. Swearing, he put his hand over the buckle, squeezing her hand to keep her from pressing her fingers on the release. She let go of the door and it rattled against the frame. With traffic on both sides, he couldn't maneuver to the shoulder of the road. She hooked the leather bag at her feet into her hand and slammed it into his fist until his knuckles bled. Before she broke a bone, he let go. "All right, you win."

Her breathing was a jagged rush. Her eyes were wide and wild. She was so wound up, he was afraid she'd spring out from adrenaline overload.

"Stop the car."

"I said you win. I'll drive through the damned tolls."

"Stop the car now!"

"We're in the middle of traffic."

She reached for the door again. "Stop the damned car, Yamato!"

"Fine!"

He tapped the brakes, warning the car behind him. He turned on the hazard lights for good measure. She'll soon realize how stupid she was acting. "We've stopped, now close the door."

"Not until you promise that you won't take me to Seekers."

"It's the safest place for you, but if…"

Before he could finish, she opened the door and got out. Traffic buzzed around her in a flurry of dizzying headlights, honked horns and raised fingers. Careful of the traffic, he went after her. She strode down the middle lane of the freeway as if she were on an empty country road outside of Odaiba.

"Mimi!"

She looked at him, her face filled with rage, her fists tight at her side. The steady beam of his headlights made shadows across her body, sharpening her cheeks, chiseling her chin and giving her face a hard edge. That hardness scared him more than any special operation he participated in.

"I've had it," she said. "I am so mad! I've had it with lies and threats and death. I've had it with people who think they know what's good for me. My father didn't know. Michael doesn't know. And you certainly don't. Did any of you bother consulting me before you made plans? No! You all just assumed I'd want what you want. Well, guess what? I don't want to be the good little girl anymore. I don't want to pretend I'm somebody else. I don't want to go to Seekers. I just want my life back. Is that too much to ask?"

He reached out to her, desperate to hold her and pull her to safety. She stepped back, clutching her leather bag to her chest. The diamond-and-topaz ring on her finger glared a cautious warning. She needs reassurance, Matt. Give it to her.

"No, Mimi, it's perfectly normal. But these aren't normal circumstances. You said you didn't want anyone else's death in your conscience. If you don't testify, then you could have the deaths of thousands of soldiers weighing on you. Seekers can keep you alive so you can get your life back. I can keep you safe until the trial. You just have to trust me."

She shook her head. "Michael knows where I'm going. He knows where to find me. I can't go there, Matt." Even in this humid weather and wearing a fleece vest, her body shivered. The thought that Michael could locate her terrified her to the core. In this state, would she throw herself into traffic rather than walk into a place that would petrify her every second of every day? Seven days of this could leave her unfit to testify. And wasn't that the ultimate aim?

"Okay, I hear you. No Seekers." He heard a siren coming. "Now get back in the car before we get arrested for obstructing traffic."

There was enough doubt rolling around in his head about Seekers Inc. that he could give her a temporary reprieve until he checked out the situation. He weighed his options and came up with an intermediate plan. "I know where we're going."

He offered her his hand once more. This time she took it. He used up half a lifetime of restraint to control his urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her how much she scared him. But he couldn't let her see how scared he was. Never let them see you sweat.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she stepped shakily back in the car.

"Don't worry, you'll find out soon."

"You're not taking me to Seekers, right?" she gave him a pleading look.

He gave a reassuring smile. "I promise, I'm not taking you to Seekers." A promise he will keep.


AN: Have you ever experienced this rush of adrenaline where you're so in overdrive you have no idea what you're doing? Whoa, Matt got his hands full with this girl...hehehe. Where do you think Matt's taking her? Hopefully not Seekers...right? right? Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Now don't forget to review! I'll make another update as soon as I can.

Don't forget to review! Thanks!